Tonos: Ròisìn O’Grady – Soprano; Eamon Sweeney – Renaissance and Baroque Guitars, Renaissance Lute

Tonos specialise in the music of the 16th–18th centuries and are delighted to be performing in Wicklow to complete their 10-date Arts Council-funded national tour which coincides with the launch of their debut CD: Songs of Identity and Belonging.

Eamon is well-known throughout Wicklow from his work with Music Generation, Seamus Heaney, Alchemy Music Series, Bray Music Centre, Kildare-Wicklow Education Training Board. Róisín is one of Ireland’s most respected sopranos and works regularly with The National Symphony Orchestra, National Chamber Choir, Irish Baroque Orchestra and has sung for President Obama in the Whitehouse.

This tonos’ concert, in the wonderful setting of the Nun's Cross Church, focuses on themes of identity as expressed in songs from across the centuries – including the oldest known song from 2000 years ago.
Songs are repositories of the core emotions of a culture. They preserve the imprint of feelings and beliefs from ages past and are a huge part of who we are.

There will be music, song and poetry reflecting on our sense of nationhood, religion, love and mortality from Ireland, France, Italy, South America, Spain and England. The evening will include works by Turlough O’Carolan, Ruairi Dáll Ó Catháin, John Dowland, Gaspar Sanz, William Shakespeare and from the Irish Traditional canon.